This document contains summaries of 5 lesson plans from a kindergarten teaching practicum. Each lesson plan summary is 1-3 sentences and provides the high-level details about the lesson including the pedagogical principles, activities, student engagement and feedback, and areas for improvement. The lessons covered topics like people at school, prepositions of place, sounds, values, and reviewing prior vocabulary. Visual aids, songs, games and a puppet were used across the lessons to engage students and reinforce vocabulary. Student engagement was generally positive but some lessons could have been improved with better timing, transitions or activity structure.

1. Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: kindergarten
Group: 5 years old
Date: 12/05/15
Lesson number: 1
The pedagogical principle that supported the lesson was the Natural Approach. The lesson
was delivered taking into account the linguistic level of the ss and the course book they were
working with. The topic of the lesson was “People at School” in which new vocabulary was
presented in a communicative fashion. Ss were asked to talk about their own school and they
were able to identify the new vocabulary with the people that work in their own school. That
was achieved through the use of posters related to the school, flashcards that represented the
new vocabulary, a presentation in Flickr, a song that talked about the people at school and a
final activity in which students were encouraged to use the new vocabulary.
Some of the teaching strategies that I used involve the use of a puppet, “Jolly Giraffe”, which
helped meget ss’ attention and interest on the activities that we were going to perform. Asking
ss to work in a circle on the floor, which allowed me to place myself in a place in which all ss
could see the material we were working with and also helped me have a greater view of all
the ss so that to control if they were paying attention. Besides that, I also encouraged ss to
use almost all their senses by the use of visual aids, a song, mimic and also the use of my
voice so that to perform the puppet’s voice.
Ss reacted really surprisingly and they seemed to feel comfortable with me and with my
puppet; they even made jokes and tried to touch the puppet. They also liked the song, and all
of them wanted to touch the flashcards. Only two or three ss were kind of inattentive, they sat
behind the circle and played with one another, so I tried to call them to come back to the circle
using my puppet and also asking them by their names. They liked the lesson, the course
teacher also liked it and I felt really comfortable with what I was doing.
I consider that the use of a puppet with children is always successful. The idea of having a
new friend that does not belong to our world calls for ss’ imagination, and even more, for the
teacher’s good use of voice, gestures and mimic. Thus, ss got completely involved with the
lesson, they became friends with the teacher and with the puppet, and they felt interested on
what was coming next. Apart from that, I think that the choice of using IT in the first lesson
was a good one, as ss had one more way of understanding what the lesson was about through
the use of a tool that had a visual impact on them. The fact of working in a circle was also a
good idea, as I could observe all ss’ faces when I introduced the puppet to them.

2. The aspects of the lesson that I consider need some changes are the timing, because I think
I exceeded the time expected; how to let ss manipulate the flashcards as they weren`t
laminated and also because ss became anxious when holding the flashcards. Apart from that,
I think I should improve my transitions so that to delimit one section of the lesson from the
others.
I think that now that ss know the puppet I could prepare a better speech for next time, and the
puppet also knows them so it will be easier to start the lesson comfortably. Another good
aspect of the lesson is that I have tried to include all the resources that I found useful and
available to work with ss, and it was successful, so next time I will try to bring more authentic
and interesting things to the class.
.
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: kindergarten
Group: 5 years old
Date: 14 / 05 / 15
Lesson number: 2
The pedagogical principle that supported the lesson is the Natural Approach and the lesson
was organized through a Presentation, Practice and Production teaching procedure. Through
this approach language is viewed as a vehicle to deliver messages and to demonstrate
meaning; therefore, the teacher and ss work under a context that facilitates the use of
comprehensible input. Moreover, under this pedagogical principle, Krashen refers to the Input
Hypothesis, by which the input contains structures and vocabulary a little bit further than ss’
present knowledge.
(Krashen and Terrel 1983: 32)
Someof the teaching strategies that were delivered in the lessoncould be the useof resources
and vocabulary that let the ss process comprehensible input. Ss made a revision of the
previous knowledge, which was all the vocabulary learnt in the first lesson, and they were
introduced to new vocabulary that was also related to what ss knew. Therefore, ss could relate
the context to old and new information. Another strategy could be the use of flashcards,
posters, a video and body gestures that helped learners figure out what the new topic was
about. Apart from that, the use of repetition was also useful for ss to practice the pronunciation
of the vocabulary. The use of the video and the song are other strategies that helped the
learner get more examples, more input related to the new vocabulary; ss could listen to other
voices apart from the teacher’s voice using the same vocabulary.
It could be observed that the ss were interested in the lesson and they seemed to enjoy it.
They answered to all the teacher’s questions and followed all the teacher’s instructions.

3. Besides that, ss also sang and danced the songs and they were really amazed with the puppet.
They were really concentrated with the video and the description of the pictures.
Personally,the aspects of the lesson considered successful were the routine section in which
ss greet the teacher and the puppet. They love having someone else apart from their teacher
in the classroom and they seemedamazedwith the presence of Jolly Giraffe (puppet). Another
interesting aspect of the lesson was the warm up in which ss revised all the vocabulary they
learnt the previous lesson and when the T realized that ss had actually acquired the
vocabulary. The practice section was also good, as ss were really interested in the video and
they understood the uses of the prepositions of place being taught.
The aspects of the lesson that need adjustment or change could be the use of time, as I get
completely involved in the lesson and tend to forget the use of timing. As a result,this timing
aspect affected the flow of the lesson as the limits among the stages of the lesson were not
clear enough. Another aspect under consideration is the use of flashcards, children got
anxious with the flashcards and they took them from my hands. I should manage the
flashcards myself only showing ss the images.
What I found useful in this lesson was the use of more resources that worked well in the
lesson, and the ss and teacher rapport; something that I consider of high importance. As ss
are very young, creativity and a dynamic lesson are of great importance. Besides that, I also
felt comfortable enough so that to try something new, for example changing the seating
organization; maybe if ss sit on their chairs they could get a greater view of the visual aids.
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: kindergarten
Group: 5 years old
Date: 19 / 05 / 15
Lesson number: 3
The pedagogical principles that supported the planning and delivery of the lesson were the
Natural Approach and Total Physical Response. The lesson presented vocabulary to work
with sounds, making emphasis on the starting sounds of words beginning with /s/, /l/, /m/, and
/f/. I must highlight the fact that this lesson had been planned having the book Pocket’s 3 as a
foundation, and bearing in mind that ss keep on working with the book during the rest of the

4. lessons with their teacher. One of the main characteristics of this book is that the lessons
should be delivered through a meaningful context and reminding ss of the most important
values when working at school and in a community. Therefore, some of the most important
moments in the lesson regarding context had to do with the use of homemade flashcards, the
narration of a dream in which almost all the vocabulary was used, the use of sounds and the
use of a song; altogether related to the same topic.
Some of the teaching strategies that I used were using a puppet that helped me get ss
organized and in silence, but at the same time interested in the activities that I presented. The
use of flashcards, this time not letting ss manipulate them from first instance, and letting them
know why the images were related to the lesson. Apart from that, I tried to ask ss to work on
the floor in a circle, in which all the input was presented orally, and then to work on their desks
as they had to use the board. Another strategy I used was the use of body movement so that
to control the lesson, when ss were asked to stand up and go to their desks and also when
they were asked to make the circle again they did it slowly and in an organized manner;
although the first time I made them repeat the action as they were doing just the opposite.
Another strategy, which was related to the practice section of the lesson, was the need to
make ss repeat what they had to do so that they remember when they had to play the game.
I keep on thinking that ss react positively to my lessons, as they participate and get engaged
in the activities. Besides that, ss really like the idea of having a puppet in the classroom with
them, and also having another teacher as they get prepared before my lesson begins. I think
ss are really attracted to the visual aids I use, no matter which of them, let’s make it a video,
flashcards or posters; I think that ss get involved in the activities I present just because of the
visuals.
Ss also enjoy the songs they listen to in my lessons as they know part of them and they really
like them.
I consider successful the narration of the dream and the game. The former had to do with the
use of imagination in ss; although I showed them the flashcards, the dream was fully shaped
only in their minds, and the animals that I used were funny too as they already knew them but
ss actually did not relate them in the same setting and plot. The latter involved listening to
music, body movement and concentration as ss had to respond to the teacher’s instructions
apart from enjoying the music.
The part of the lesson that I think requires a change could be the section before the game, as
there wasn’ttoo muchrepetition and emphasis on the reproduction of the sounds being taught.
Maybe, if ss repeated more times with a specific purpose, they could have realized that the
emphasis of the lesson was the use of those sounds at the beginning of words. However, all
the activities required children to repeat and use the sounds.
I believe that the game was a really good choice for this lesson, as ss got completely involved
in the activity and they worked as a group, in which respect for the time in which each group
played was highly necessary and concentration was also a must. Therefore, I concluded that
that type of games are useful for ss as they use different skills and at the same time, they
enjoy what they are doing.

5. I couldn’t film the last part of the lesson as the camera memory was full, but the closure of the
lesson was to make a circle again and, dance and sing the song of the topic “Lions Lions”
which was very funny and entertaining for the whole group.
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: kindergarten
Group: 5 years old
Date: 21 / 05 / 15
Lesson number: 4
The Natural Approach is the pedagogical principle that supported the lesson. In this case the
lesson was based on the work of values in the classroom. The main goal of the lesson was to
encourage children to think on the importance of working in a clean space, letting them know
how useful is not only to incorporate this value to their daily lives; but also to think about the
others and how it could affect them if someone’s place is a mess. The lesson was delivered
using several IT tools as a power point presentation to work with a story, because my printer
suddenly didn’t work so I had to prepare a power point presentation with the same images I
was going to use. Besides, I showed ss a Flickr presentation, and a song. Apart from that, ss
also had to move around the classroom so as to recognise their place of working, they had to
cooperate so that to clean the classroom and they had to reflect on the fact of keeping spaces
clean.
Regarding teaching strategies, I insist on the use of meaningful input through images. This
really helps the learner become aware of what the lesson is about and also to reflect on what
they see, to compare and contrast and to think of what they do in the same situation; always
bearing in mind that this time ss were working with values. Besides that, I also presented three
flashcards that included chunks to talk about cleaning the classroom.
In the lesson we revisited vocabulary regarding school objects which was achieved through
the use of realia. All the teacher’s school objects were thrown over the floor around the
classroom, and ss had to infer what was happening and at the same time the T elicited
vocabulary they already knew.
Cooperative work was enhanced through the last activity in which the group was divided into
three and they were in charge of cleaning up the classroom, they could see the change by
their own work.
As regards the acceptance of the lesson I think that as ss were working with values they
became involved with the lesson as they felt identified with the topic. They talked about their
feelings towards the topic and even offered solutions to it. Once more, I think that a good way
to let ss become aware of what I try to teach in my lessons is to catch their attention with as
many resources I can use.
At the end of the lesson I could observe that ss felt kind of happy because of having cleaned
the classroom.

6. The uses of realia and of a story were successful aspects of the lesson. When ss had the
chance to touch concrete objects that were related to the vocabulary they had been working
with, they were happy to know the names of the objects and also realised they were using the
language with a purpose. Regarding the story, ss felt like if they were the protagonists of the
story and were relieved to know its ending.
I consider that the closure of the lesson required adjustment as maybe I could have let ss
listen to the song and practice it before they started cleaning up the classroom. I felt that ss
were not paying attention to the song, and I prepared it thinking that I was useful for ss to learn
more vocabulary and to listen to someone else using the same language they use in the
classroom everyday. That is why, next time I include a song at the closure stage I will reinforce
its delivery and use so that to comply with the purpose of using it.
It was the first time I made emphasis on the work of specific values in the classroom, and I
found it really useful and meaningful for the children and also for me. The atmosphere created
by the use of a variety of resources and activities and also by ss interest and attention to what
we were talking about was really encouraging for me. Now, I think that at least once a month,
values should be paid special attention in all classrooms, no matter level or age.
Trainee’s name: Naiman Lorena
Practicum level: kindergarten
Group: 5 years old
Date: 28/05/15
Lesson number: 5
The Natural approach was the pedagogical principle that supported the lesson. During this
lesson ss were supposed to round up the topics they have been dealing with during the last
four lessons.Webegan working in a circle as I believe it represents a stress-free environment
in which ss feel relaxed so that to greet the teacher and begin with the lesson. Besides, the
use of games also created a warm atmosphere necessary for the use of the language
communicatively.
The use of visual aids, miming and gestures were some of the strategies I used in this lesson.
Visual aids were necessary for the ss to remember the vocabulary they have been working
with as images really help ss contextualize the vocabulary. Miming and gestures are part of
the comprehensible input that I provided, through these strategies I let ss understand
meaningful input. The use of a puppet also helps learners get involved in the lesson and use
their imagination related with another character in the classroom; I mean, there are ss in the
classroom, a teacher and also a Giraffe who uses the same language to communicate. I
believe this is another way to catch ss attention and make the lessons meaningful.

7. I think that this time, ss were bored with the activities, maybe they were longer games than
the ones they are used to play. I realized that just because while ss were playing the game,
one of them expressed that she was bored. Maybe if the game was shorter I would have been
a funnier lesson, but I thought I had to give all the ss the chance to play, that is why it got long.
I think that the revision of the vocabulary ss had learnt was a successful one. Ss showed real
interest on the topic being dealt with and they really enjoyed working with pictures. Apart from
that, ss showed great enthusiasm when coloring the drawings that represented all the
vocabulary they learnt, as they were also asked to write their names and stick their works on
the wall, I think they felt involved in the activity.
I must admit that this time I felt lost with the lesson, as I had to make adjustments in the last
minute, I did not really feel that the last version of the lesson plan I presented was good enough
to ensure an acceptable lesson. This time, I lost security on my performance and some
aspects of the lesson were not the bests ones. The timing of the lesson requires a great
adjustment, also the presentation of the activities was really poor. All the same, ss always
receive what the teachers bring to them with great enthusiasm, but I think I can make it better.
What I find useful from this lesson is the fact that in the end I realized what was expected from
this lesson; that is to say, I finally understood what changes I had to do. And they involved
simplicity, in the way the activities were delivered and also in the way I spoke to the children,
organization, and more confidence on what I offered.
I think that it was not the best lesson I could offer, but still I believe I can do it better.
Dear Lorena
In your journal entries I have been able to read about your perceptions and outcomes during
your practicum at kinder. You included a variety of activities and resources, paying attention
not only to the teaching of the L2 but also to values.
You may now upload these entries to the campus, with comments, all in one file.
Way to go!!!
Cecilia